Mountain Lions Defeat Western Colorado in Five Set Battle

Western Colo. WC 10-13,4-7 RMAC

UCCS UCCS 14-9,9-2 RMAC

Western Colo. WC

10-13,4-7 RMAC

Final

Oct. 30, 2026

UCCS UCCS

14-9,9-2 RMAC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Western Colo. WC	26	20	26	24	7	(2)
UCCS UCCS	24	25	24	26	15	(3)

Summary
Box Score

Isaiah J. Downing

Game Recap: Volleyball | 10/30/2026 8:47:00 PM | Julia Lashlee, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Mountain Lions Defeat Western Colorado in Five Set Battle

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team claimed a 3-2 victory over Western Colorado inside the Gallogly Events Center on Friday evening. The team celebrated Payton Tompkins' milestone of 1,000 career kills prior to the game. With tonight's win, the Mountain Lions secured a spot in the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournamnet, and are currently in a three-way tie for second place with Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Mesa University.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score: W, 3-2 (24-26, 25-20, 24-26, 26-24, 15-7)
Records: UCCS (14-9, 9-2 RMAC) | WCU (10-13, 4-7 RMAC)
Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to an all-time record of 29-24 with this evening's victory against the Mountaineers, extending their winning streak to three consecutive games.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Mountain Lions started strong by earning the first point of the match, but Western Colorado University countered with two quick points to take the lead. Moments later, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs went on a 5-0 scoring run, forcing the Mountaineers to trail 8-3. Ensuing kills by Payton Tompkins, Nicole Himebauch, Alysse Marcoso, and Sydni Lafasciano allowed the Mountain Lions to gain a 14-8 advantage over WCU. Action went back and forth over the next few minutes, with neither team scoring more than two consecutive points until the Mountaineers managed to go on a 3-0 scoring run, closing their deficit to five points. With the Mountain Lions on their heels, WCU went on another scoring run, earning eight consecutive points to claim victory in the first set, 26-24.
Tompkins put UCCS on the board first with a stunning kill, but a service ace by Galatia Andrew and kill from Karease Broeker forced the Mountain Lions to trail in points. A kill by Tompkins jumpstarted a 3-0 scoring run for UCCS, but the Mountaineers responded with two 3-0 runs of their own to take an 8-5 lead. Multiple attacking errors combined with kills from Sydney Hyde and Lafasciano closed the gap to a single point, but two kills by WCU edged the Mountain Lions back into a deficit. Both teams saw a slew of action until UCCS was finally able to tie the score 16-16. A service ace by Aubrey Miller earned the Mountain Lions their first lead since the beginning of the set, but a kill by Lauren Jacobson tied the score up again. However, a stretch of momentum flowed on the home team's side as they went on a 5-0 scoring run to seal a 25-20 second set victory.
Breanna Nohava was the first to score for WCU, but Michelle Fredrick and Himebauch quickly responded with kills. Neither team gained a comfortable lead over the next few minutes until a service ace by Abuhea Kaalele forced UCCS to trail 12-9. However, a 7-0 scoring run and multiple kills allowed the Mountain Lions to reach 20 points first. The Mountaineers countered with three service aces to tie the game 23-23, while kills by Maggie Legg and Jacobson earned WCU a 26-24 victory in the third set.
Fredrick opened the fourth set with two impressive kills. The Mountain Lions were pushed into a deficit as the visiting team logged a 3-0 scoring run, but kills from Tompkins, Sydnee Walker, and Lafasciano quickly put UCCS back on top. Moments later, Lafasciano collected three consecutive kills and a single service ace, earning the Mountain Lions a 12-8 advantage over WCU. After some back-and-forth action, UCCS logged a 4-0 scoring run to gain a comfortable 18-13 lead, but a 4-0 run by the Mountaineers closed the scoring gap to a single point. Despite a slew of kills by WCU, the Mountain Lions managed to claim a 26-24 fourth set victory with Tompkins' 17th kill of the game.
UCCS began the final set with a 3-0 scoring run, cut short by a kill from Legg. Both sides of the court battled over the ensuing moments, with neither team allowing the other to score more than two consecutive points until the Mountain Lions went on a 6-0 scoring run. A kill from Hyde sealed a 15-7 fifth set victory, allowing UCCS to collect a 3-2 win against the Mountaineers.

MATCH STATISTICS

The Mountain Lions led in points (114-103), kills (70-62), total attacks (190-180), hitting percentage (.253-.178), assists (64-56), block solos (2-1), block assists (16-12), and total blocks (10.0-7.0). The Mountaineers led in digs (82-79) and service aces (6-5).
Payton Tompkins logged 17 kills against WCU while Sydney Hyde and Nicole Himebauch chipped in 16 and 12, respectively.
Charlette Albers recorded 28 assists while Aubrey Miller also hit double digits with 23 assists.
Sydni Lafasciano collected two service aces.
Alysse Marcoso and Tompkins each logged 22 and 17 digs, respectively. Lafasciano chipped in 12 digs.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

Payton Tompkins ranks ninth in all-time points, totaling 1,206 points in her career as a Mountain Lion.
The last time UCCS took the Mountaineers to five sets was on October 15, 2021 (3-2 victory).

UP NEXT

The Mountain Lions will compete against Fort Lewis on October 31 at 3 p.m. inside the Gallogly Events Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two senior Mountain Lions, Nicole Himebauch and Karlee Pinell, will be recognized during a pre-game celebration.

SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.

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